Lorain County Dissolution Process

When a couple files for dissolution, they work together to ask the Court to agree with their plan to end their marriage. You will have to fill out a set of detailed forms and go to Court, but dissolution only takes 30 to 90 days from the time you file until your marriage ends. That is likely less time than it would take to get a divorce.

You can only get a dissolution if you and your spouse both agree on everything about ending the marriage. If you do not agree, you can consider filing for divorce instead. If you start the dissolution process, but then disagree before the dissolution is finalized, you will need to convert your dissolution into a divorce.

If you're in an abusive relationship, consider speaking with a lawyer. Abuse can complicate a dissolution. Working with a lawyer can help keep you safe while ending your marriage.

Talk with your spouse

Sit down with your spouse to talk about how you want things to be after your marriage ends. Make a list of what you need to decide, including:

• How you will divide up property and share responsibility for debt you have together
• If you or your spouse will pay spousal support to the other
• Who will have custody of your children and how much time the other will be able to spend with them
• If one of you will pay child support to the other

If you both agree on the answers to all of these questions, you will file together for dissolution. 

If you can't agree on those questions, you won't be able to get a dissolution. You may want to consider filing for a divorce instead, and the Court will help decide what's fair. 

Fill out the forms

Go to filing for a dissolution to get the forms you will need to fill out and details about how to file them. Fill out the forms together with your spouse. You will need to figure out details, like specific amounts of money or schedules for custody.

One of the forms is a “petition for dissolution,” where you and your spouse ask the Court to let you end your marriage. You also will include a separation agreement, where you and your spouse explain how you plan to divide things like your car, house, money or debt.

You will have more forms to fill out if you have children together. If you plan to share parenting after the dissolution, your forms will need to explain how you and your spouse will handle things like school, medical issues and child support.

The paperwork in a dissolution is very detailed. You and your spouse must agree on everything in your forms. Then you will ask the Court to review your agreement and make it legally binding.

Bring the forms to Court

Once you have completed the forms and are ready to file:

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There will be a fee when you file — $380 for a dissolution with children or $280 for a dissolution without children, as of April 2024.

If you have a low income and can’t afford the filing fee, you can choose to add a Poverty Affidavit to create an additional form to file with your packet of documents. This form asks that you be allowed to file without paying a fee upfront. You may still be responsible for paying the fee at the end of the case.

Prepare for the hearing

After you file your paperwork, the Court will schedule a final hearing 30 to 90 days from the date you filed. You and your spouse must attend this hearing.

Pay attention to any notices or communications you get from the Court.

If you and your spouse have children together, you will need to attend an educational seminar for parents sponsored by the Court. Look for a notice about the Seminar for Separating Parents.

Submit your judgment entry

Before your final hearing, you must submit a proposed “Judgment Entry of Dissolution” that says what you want the Judge to include in the final dissolution order. This form will be reviewed by the Court for completeness and then sent to the Judge or Magistrate holding your final hearing for their review and approval.

If you don’t submit this form, your case could be dismissed.

To prepare your proposed judgment entry:

• Complete your proposed judgment entry on this website. To prepare your proposed judgment entry use this form for a dissolution with children or use this form for a dissolution without children.
• Log in to your account and turn on notifications. If you don't already have an account on this website, register for one using your email or cell phone number. "Please text me reminders about my forms" will be checked by default to make sure that you receive notifications about your forms as they go through the approval process. You can also add an email address to your account to receive notifications. If you already have an account and are prompted to turn on notifications, click "Turn on notifications" to update your preferences.
• Complete the steps in order. Each judgment entry on this website is divided into different "Steps." Be sure to complete each step in order. If you used this website to prepare your dissolution petition, some of the steps will be pre-populated with that information. Review each step carefully and update any information if it has changed. 
• Click "Submit for Review." When every step has been completed (they will all say "Status: Done" and be marked with a green check), click "Submit for Review" to send your proposed judgment entry to the Help Center. You will not be able to edit your form after you click "Submit for Review."
• Look for communications from the Court. If the Court has questions about your proposed entry, or if you need to provide more information on your form, the Court will contact you either by phone or through this website. They have the option to leave comments on your form and "reassign" the form to you for edits. If this happens, you will receive a notification via your preferred method (email or text). The notification will prompt you to return to your form. Look for a red dot over the "Comment" icon to find your message from the Help Center. Make any changes and respond to the question, save the form step, and hit "Submit for Review." Complete any updates promptly to make sure that your judgment entry is completed in time for your final hearing. If you have any questions you can contact the Help Center.

Some judgment entries that include unusual circumstances cannot be completed using this website. This includes:

• Dissolutions with a separation agreement that was not originally prepared using this site.
• Dissolutions with more than 8 minor children of the marriage.
• Dissolutions where a QDRO or DOPO has already been prepared before the final hearing.
• Dissolutions with "split parenting," which means that you and your spouse are making different custody orders for different children. For example, if Mom has primary custody of one child and Dad has primary custody of the other.

For these cases, please contact the Help Center at least two weeks before your final hearing to prepare your proposed judgment entry.  

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The Court’s chief Magistrate or their representative will review your separation agreement before your final hearing. If you need to make any changes to the separation agreement, include it as an update to your original separation agreement or put it into your proposed decree of dissolution.

Attend the hearing together

You and your spouse must both go to the hearing. The Judge (or Magistrate) will ask you and your spouse questions about the agreements you filed to make sure neither of you have changed your mind about anything. If you or your spouse disagree at the hearing, the Judge may ask you to start the process over with a new dissolution or change your current case into a divorce.

It is the Judge’s job to make sure you and your spouse are both willing to end your marriage through the terms of your dissolution agreements, and neither of you is being forced. If the Judge agrees that the agreement is fair to both of you, the Judge will submit a "judgment" to the Lorain County Clerk of Courts that legally ends your marriage. 

After the hearing

Your dissolution is not finalized until the Judge has signed the “Judgment Entry of Dissolution” and it is filed with the Court. This is usually filed automatically after the Judge approves the dissolution.

You can get a certified copy of the judgment entry for a small fee from the Lorain County Domestic Relations Clerk of Courts.